Challenge

Petmate, PetSmart, Petco—which is which? Doskocil, manufacturer of the largest selection of pet products in the USA and owner of the Petmate brand, was getting confused in the muddle. What’s more, over time they had created and added a wide variety of product and segment brands, and even acquired a few. Their product lines spanned almost every category in retailers like PetSmart and Petco; however, the core brands were diluted and confusing. To add to the challenge was the looming threat of retail private labels, a tremendous pressure on all but the strongest national brands.

Something had to be done and done soon. Petmate engaged BOLTGROUP to create a comprehensive brand innovation and brand strategy program to address these challenges and get them on the right track.

Solution

Crystal clarity and crisp focus was called for. Extensive stakeholder discussions, channel examination, brand audits, and thorough brand analysis were undertaken. And consumer research—we needed to fully understand the market segmentation and emotional purchase drivers.

The aim was for Petmate to gain a clear focus and ability to build value in fewer proprietary properties. Additionally, retailers would benefit by Petmate taking on a category captain role.

Our solution was to organize the brands into a handful of key brand equities. First we refreshed the Petmate brand to reflect its true pillars—trusted authority, smart solutions for your pet’s whole life, and a responsible partner. Then we prepared a rebranding launch at the Global Pet Expo. Rave reviews followed.

Next came new package design and a new consolidated website design. Then integration of social marketing and in-store activation. The launch continues to roll out across more than 4,000 SKUs of product.

Result

Repositioning called for Petmate to be the prominent brand at specialty retail. The other few halo brands would be rebranded and positioned with great focus in special categories and channels.

Doskocil took the initiative to conduct and implement an incredibly valuable strategy for their brand and competitive market position. The result is a much larger and more powerful company today.